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There's a new addition to the Oskaloosa School Board. This week, the school district held a special election to fill an open spot in District One.

Amanda McGraw comfortably beat out Elaine Fontana to claim the seat.

Back in October, school board member Nicholas Hansen stepped down from his position after accepting a job in Minnesota. Hansen had three years left in his term. The Oskaloosa School Board decided to hold a special election to fill the position.ÂÂÂÂ

On Tuesday, Amanda McGraw received more than 80 percent of the total votes to beat out Elaine Fontana.

"It was overwhelming to me just that, it was a little lower turnout, but that enough people had enough confidence in me. So it was an honor, I was excited. I wasn't really sure how to feel, except proud that I can serve the kids in our district,” McGraw says.

McGraw, who works at Musco Lighting as a Project Services coordinator, says she trusts the work being done by the district, but still sees areas for improvement.

"I want to see our scores improve. I think, again, there are some initiatives right now that we are seeing successes in. So building on those. What isn't working? Let's find ways to improve that. Enrollment is one of the top priorities for me. I want to find out why we have kids leaving,” McGraw says.

Back in September, Superintendent Russ Reiter says enrollment decreased by more than 30 students this school year. McGraw also talked about the recent discussions on student behavior.

"I think those discussions needed to happen. I think anytime you see behavior like that, you've got to address it. I mean there's a lot of kids out there at the elementary and when you have disruptions, you know, you're disrupting the educational needs of all the students, not just a few. I think those are great discussions to have and I think they're taking steps now to improve that. I think a lot of it starts at home. We've got to have our families on the same page with the schools,” McGraw says.

McGraw added that she has a daughter that went through the school system and is now at the University of Iowa's pharmacy school. So she believes in the education being provided by the Oskaloosa School District. McGraw will join the board in its February meeting on the 14th.